After his most recent Formula 1 test debut with McLaren in Abu Dhabi, Pato O’Ward could make his weekend debut in free practice in 2022.
O’Ward drives full-time for McLaren’s IndyCar outfit and finished the 2021 season third in the drivers’ championship.
The Mexican driver struck a deal with McLaren CEO Zak Brown that he would drive McLaren’s F1 car if he secured his first IndyCar win.
O’Ward spent some time behind the wheel of the MCL35M 2021 during the post-season test at Yas Marina and expressed his affection for the speed of F1 cars.
Brown claims the outing was not only a reward for his IndyCar success, but also a way of assessing how skillfully he drives an F1 car.
“I think every time you put a driver in your Formula 1 car, you have so few test days and so few rookie days that you will just put someone in to make it a meaningful test,” said Brown versus RACER.
“So it was a nice little reward, but we’d only put him in the car to understand how capable he is of driving a Formula 1 car.
“He did everything we wanted and expected of him. He was extremely quick and brave, but that didn’t surprise us.
“So we looked more to see how he adapts? Will he keep it on the island? What is his feedback like? And all of this was very strong for his first outing in a Formula 1 car. “
In 2022, F1 will introduce two mandatory FP1 rookie outings for each team during the year that could give O’Ward the chance to make his weekend debut.
“We have two FP1s to do next year,” added Brown. “Ultimately, it’s up to Andreas [Seidl, McLaren Team Principal] first and foremost make a recommendation and give an opinion.
“In the two years that Andreas and I have been working together, I have always agreed with his recommendations and suggestions.
“We’re going to do a full analysis – there are still some rookie tests to be done, step by step, but a very good first step.”
